Improvement in car-starters



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. WHITTEMORE. CAR-STARTER.

No. 185,006. Patented Dec 5,1876.

I YXSA 25heets-Sheet Z.

A. W HITTEMO-RE. CAR-STARTER. 1 No..185,006.. Patented Dec. 5, 1876.

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WITNESSES INVENTOR Attorney THE GRAPHIC COMM Unirrnn STATES PATENTQFFICE.

AMOS WHITTEMORE, OF GAMBRIDGEPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-STARTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 85,006, dated December5, 1876; application filed October 17, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AMos WHITTEMORE, ofOambridgeport, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and useful Improvement in (Jar Starters andStoppers, whichimprovement is fully set forth in the followingspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, showing the rear end of the can partiallyelevated on the brake-shoes; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section ofa car, with the forward and rear wheels running on the track, and theshoes elevated therefrom. Figs. 3 and 4 are bottom views, representingthe two positions of adjustment of my starter and brake.

I propose to adapt a car starter and stopper, or vice versa, to thewell-known or the most improved construction of street cars, whereby thewell-known brakes may be used, if desirable; and they need only be usedon roads where the car is to descend a deep grade.

In the annexed drawings, the letter A designates a car-bed; B B,th'evcar-wheels, which may beconstructed and applied in the usualwell-known manner. CG are the axles of said wheels. The axle O has apinion spur-wheel, a, fixed to it at or near the middle of its length,

which engages with a larger wheel, b, applied on the shaft of a drum, 0,which shaft has its bearings on arms D, that vibrate about a fulcrum, e,on a bracket, E, which is rigidly secured to the car-bed A. The arms Dare free to be vibrated in a direction with the length of the car forthe purpose of engaging and disengagingspur-wheels a b at the pleasureof the person driving the car. At or nea i" the lower end of one of thevibrating arms D is pivoted one end of a pitman-rod, F, which maycurveover the axle U, and is attached by its opposite end to the shortest armof an angular lever, G, which lever is under the control of the driver.It is by means of this lever G that the driver can engage or disengagethe two spurwheels a lg atpleasure. H designates a chain, which isdesigned to be wound around drum 0. This chain H is attached to acrossbar, f, which is connected to the feet I of two shoes, Y, whichshoes are of a wedge form, and may be of any suitable length, theincline portions j of which shoes, lettered Y, may be at any desiredangle with respect to the portion I. The basis of the two angles isunited. This forms triangular shoes, which will resist all the weightbronght'npon them, and which are laterally braced by the bars f and k,the superior connection of which latterreceives through it two inclinedspring and curved guide-rods, L L, which I will presently more fullydescribe.

The cross-b'ar f has attached to it at or near the middle of its lengtha bar, K, which is guided by a bracket, h, depending from the bed of thecar with an opening through it for allowing free play to said guide-rod.The upperportion of the arch K of the shoes, which I have abovedescribed, receives loosely through it the guides L, which I shallhereinafter describe. k k designate helical springs, which are formed onthe shorter portions of the guide rods L L, and H designate curvedshoulders, which I have formed on the longer spring portion at thetermini of these guide-rods.

It will be observed from the description which I have made of the devicewhich guides my brake-shoes, that these guides are yielding, in orderthatthe' brake-shoes which I have shall accommodate themselves to thesurfaces over which they pass; and that when these brake-shoes arethrown back to their fullest extent they will be arrested by theshoulders Z Z on the spring guide-rods.

In practice I may form the bottom surface of each one of the brake-shoesconvexlongitudinally for the purpose of preventing displacement of a carin turning a curve, and this surface may have applied to it a removablewearing-plate. I propose, also, to form on or to removably attach toeach one of the brake or starting shoes, a safety-lip, P, which lip maybe armed with one or more anti-friction rollers, which are designed toprevent lateral displacement of a car while turning a curve of thetrack. It will be seen from my invention, and the improvement which Ihave made, that the driver, by simply retracting a lever, can bring downthe brake-shoes so that the forward portions of them will at firstimpinge upon the track, and allow the car to roll up theincline plane ofthe shoes, so as to elevate one end of the car by the momentum thereof,and that when the driver releases lever G, the car will roll down saidinclines, thus overcoming itsinertia and relieving the horses.

It will be seen, from the description of my invention and theimprovements which I have made, that the driver at the front of his carcan, by simply drawing back lever G, bring down the brake-shoes on thetrack, and by the rotation of the front wheels acting on said shoesthrough the medium of the winding-up mechanism, cause these shoes to bedrawn beneath the rear wheels, and, while the shoes are sliding on thetrack, to raise the rear end of the car. When lever G is released, the

rear wheels will roll down the inclined planes of the brake-shoes, andthus start the car.

In practice, in some instances I shall apply anti-friction rollers tothe lips 12, for the pur-- pose of preventing undue wear thereof. Also,

I may apply one or more anti-friction rollers to the inner sides of eachshoe.

' What I claim as new, and desire to secure a AMOS WHITTEMORE.

Witnesses:

I. N. CAMPBELL, W. T. HUTCHINSON.

